But while one, Lawrence Thomas, received widespread acclaim and the Joe Marston Medal for helping his club to a record fourth championship, the contribution of the two others singled out by the New Zealand international perhaps flew under the radar.

That might be because Thomas Deng, 21, and James Donachie, 24, looked as though they had been defensive partners for a decade.

Their unflappable performances in the middle of an unshakeable rearguard belied a build-up that had forced Kevin Muscat's preferred back four to go under a complete makeover.

Leigh Broxham and James Donachie were superb at the back.

Rhys Williams, the calming, seasoned professional, ruled himself out of Saturday night's decider due to the calf problem he sustained in the warm-up prior to last weekend's Semi Final.

His absence compounded the mid-season departure of ever-present right-back Jason Geria, whose decision to sign for Japanese side JEF United Chiba in March saw 21-year-old Stefan Nigro drafted in to line up on the opposite side to reconfigured midfielder Leigh Broxham.

Against the odds, Victory's new-look defensive duo remained unfazed and kept a clean sheet that sealed the silverware.

"It feels terrific. We started off [the season] very poorly but it ended very sweet," Deng told Fox Sports.